"How many of the ancient altars across the continents does your alliance know about?" Han Li finally spoke. "How many? What exactly do you mean?" The monk was somewhat surprised. "Specifically, how many of these altars' locations does your alliance have a general grasp of?" Han Li asked again. "As for the other continents, I'm not very familiar. But regarding Xue Tian Continent—the locations of these ancient altars have been well-documented by our alliance for a long time. I'd estimate we know about seven or eight out of every ten. Is that correct? I find it rather interesting that Brother Han has such interest in these altars." The monk asked, somewhat puzzled. That was indeed understandable. After all, these ancient altars were mostly obsolete, and for beings at the Mahayana level, such matters were hardly noteworthy. "Regarding joining your alliance, I still need to consider this further. I certainly can't simply commit to joining just because you've mentioned it. However, I can certainly agree to participate in the battle of the strong. But beyond the original compensation, I have one additional condition." "Han Li said. "What conditions?" The monk frowned slightly. "During my time on the Blood Sky Continent, I would like to leverage your alliance's information networks to receive timely updates on the intelligence I seek. As for the records of the ancient altars, I would like a detailed map of their distribution right now." Han Li replied calmly. "That's straightforward—I'll gladly agree. As for information regarding the ancient altars, after you leave, I will have someone send you a copy immediately." Upon hearing this, the monk relaxed, nodding his agreement wholeheartedly. "Very good. As long as your alliance fulfills the terms, I will certainly attend the Stronger's Battle on time three years from now." Han Li smiled. "Given your standing, once you've made this commitment, I am fully confident. Here is a token—please keep it. When the Stronger's Battle begins, it will notify you automatically." When the time comes, Brother Han need only casually locate any of our alliance's affiliated realms, and we will promptly arrange for you to reach the entrance of that smaller world." The monk flipped his hand and produced a set of ritual plates, saying. "I accept this, Brother. I shall then meet up with all of you at a later time." Han Li did not hesitate, extending his hand to gently receive the plates, which he then stored in his storage bracelet. After the monk further explained several key points regarding the battles among the powerful and provided a more detailed map of the Xue Tian Continent, he cast a spell to transport Han Li out of the current space. Outside the scroll, the cold and elegant woman and others felt a brief flash of vision—Han Li reappeared before them, enveloped in a radiant glow of blood. "Master Han!" "Respected Elder!" Everyone was startled, exclaiming in surprise or delight and quickly approaching to pay their respects. "Please rise," Han Li waved his hand, offering a calm, gentle smile as he invited them to stand. At that moment, the reserved young woman seemed to have received instructions from Bi Ying, stepped forward, and respectfully said, "Master Han, the materials you requested have already been dispatched. They will be delivered shortly. Please wait a little longer, Master." "Having waited here for such a long time, I'm certainly not going to mind an additional moment or two," Master Han replied calmly. Upon hearing this, the young woman said nothing more, bowed once again, cast a spell to reseal the Eight Ghosts Devouring the Buddha Sutra, and then retreated to the side to wait. The round-faced young man remained quietly at the side, maintaining a respectful demeanor throughout, saying nothing as Master Han emerged. It wasn't until more than an hour had passed that the sky suddenly brightened, and a brilliant crimson rainbow surged toward the group at an astonishing speed, arriving swiftly in the sky within just a few flashes, then spiraling and dancing above them. The reserved young woman raised her hand, formed a seal, and gestured upward. At once, the crimson aura condensed into a great red flying sword, which descended straight down, its blade still bearing a pale yellow jade scroll. "Master, the ancient altar records have arrived," said the cold and elegant woman, promptly removing the scroll and handing it to Han Li. Han Li took the scroll in his hands, scanned it with his divine awareness for a moment, then smiled with satisfaction. "It is indeed thorough—thank you very much for your efforts this time. It's getting late now; we should be setting out." Without further words, Han Li folded the scroll and raised his hand, sending a sphere of black light soaring forth. A thunderous roar followed, and the sky roared with strong winds—then, a massive black vessel, as large as a small mountain, materialized before them. It was the Mo Ling Sacred Vessel. The round-faced young man and the cold woman both gasped at the sheer size of the vessel. Han Li, however, had already taken the blood-soul fossilized elder and others, and ascended into the vessel. A short while later, the vessel began to hum and swiftly turned into a streak of black light, breaking through the sky. In the blink of an eye, only the young man with a round face and the elegant, reserved woman remained. Yet, as the great vessel finally vanished at the horizon, the woman suddenly turned and bowed deeply to the young man, speaking with profound respect: "Master Bi Ying, it seems Master Han has agreed to intervene. Congratulations, Master—thus, the battle between the strong has once again strengthened our alliance's chances of victory." "Heh, Master Han is indeed no ordinary adept, but even against ghost kings of the Yin Court's Ten Sovereigns, the outcome remains roughly equal—fifty-fifty. Beyond him, however, we simply cannot find any other suitable reinforcements at this moment. We only hope that the opponents' participants are not all drawn from among the Ten Sovereigns of the Yin Court." The young man chuckled and replied, his form suddenly expanding significantly, then blurring as his face aged into that of an elderly man with a yellowish complexion and cloudy eyes, dressed in green robes. This young man—was none other than the true form of Master Bi Ying herself. I have no idea what hidden techniques he has employed, yet he has managed to alter his appearance and suppress his cultivation level to the Consolidation stage—whether or not he has truly succeeded in evading the notice of Han Li remains unknown. ... "Master, has the merchant alliance summoned you for any particular matter? Will this interfere with our original purpose?" Blood Po, slightly concerned, asked from the bow of the great vessel. "Rest assured, Master," Han Li replied with a smile, "the He Lan Merchant Alliance merely wishes me to assist them with a small matter—nothing that will affect our original plans at all." "Then I am quite at ease," Blood Po said, relaxing visibly. Han Li smiled gently, then suddenly shook his wrist, adding, "Tian, you may now appear. Our conversation with Bi Ying was quite confidential, and I hope you will keep it private and not disclose this matter." "Ah, don't worry, Brother Han," Tian replied, laughing lightly. "I'm not one to speak unnecessarily. After all, it's merely a small world—something we don't even consider significant in our own lineage." If our family so desires, we can always obtain as much as we wish, at any time. I swear by my heart demon—never will I reveal this to anyone else." A pleasant, light laugh suddenly rang out from the bow of the ship. Then, a flash of green light danced across Han Li's wrist, and instantly, a graceful figure materialized before all present. Wearing a pale green robe, her skin as smooth and white as snow, her long black hair flowing beautifully, and her features exceptionally refined, she was a stunningly elegant woman radiating vibrant spiritual energy—only that her black hair now bore two short, dewy green horns. This was Tian Fei'er in her true, natural form. Blood-Soul and Flower-Stone Elder, and others, were startled by this sight, yet knowing from Han Li's earlier words that she was no adversary, they remained calm and did not take any hostile actions, despite their surprise. "Given the noble family's wealth, I am certain the Lady will not act against her heart demon. I need not say any more," Han Li nodded, clearly confident in her words. "Thanks to Brother Han's assistance, I've been able to safely escape this situation. When the Dao Fruit Assembly takes place, I'll surely repay this favor generously. I'll no longer linger here—I'll return to my clan first." After saying these words with a light smile, Tian Fei'er promptly bid farewell and departed. Han Li naturally didn't try to detain her. With a few words of well-wishes, she transformed into a swirl of emerald light and shot off toward a specific direction. As for how she would leave the spiritual realm, Han Li didn't particularly care. Blood Soul didn't feel surprised at all. She respectfully nodded and followed. After a short while, the two of them appeared alone in the hall, sitting and standing respectively. Han Li's expression slightly stirred. With a single hand motion, he retrieved the jade scroll he had previously folded and scanned his divine awareness through it. "It's astonishing that the city is so far away—without relying on the teleportation array, merely flying here would take half a year. Fortunately, there are quite a few ancient altars along this route. That won't disrupt my schedule. Then I'll proceed to Xuehe City. However, every ancient altar along this route that I pass through must be inspected first, which will take a bit more time." After reviewing it thoroughly, Han Li made his decision. "Of course. I shall never delay the elder's affairs. Though, Xuehe City now falls within the domain of my rival's blood-based sect, so we shall need to remain cautious." Blood Spirit was delighted and promptly bowed deeply.